Do not buy any Sonus Faber used

I use to be a Sumiko dealer in the 1980s and early 90s and they were great to deal with; that was then, this is now. When I called them to get the thread size for spikes for a REL sub the told me to call a dealer; not only are they the importers BUT THEY OWN THE COMPANY! A couple of years ago I ask about being a dealer again as they have a lot of good lines; they gave me the name of their west coast rep [ I had dealt direct in the old days]. I called him but I never heard from him; I told them this and they just said call again. I will tell you one secret I have learned the hard way; if they won't call you back when they want your business FORGET about them calling you back when you need help.

I guess if you lived and bought them overseas, you have a problem bringing them to the US with you. No parts? Maybe you have to buy them (parts) from the country where you bought them? I can see the warranty not paying for parts problem. Paying for you own parts? Why not be able to buy your own parts, is what I say.

There is such a long list of rock solid audio companies one can rely on for fantastic service after the sale and that are are run by caring owners: Ayre, Bryston, Thiel, Macintosh, PS Audio, Wilson, Audio Research, Conrad-Johnson, Shunyata Research, etc. I'm sure others can add to the list. This isn't to say that no one has ever had a bum experience with the ones I've listed here but reputations are built over time and those reputations are well earned ( or well deserved).

I choose to support the good ones whenever I can. Stanwal, you are *so* right about companies that treat potential customers rudely. Run, don't walk, away from them.

I've had bad customer service from Sumiko that this statement on their web site just seals the coffin tight! Stay away from anything Sumiko does should be the message IMHO.

Not having read any of the above replies, my thoughts:

Sumiko is not the manufacturer, "just" the NA distributor. I'm sure if SF wasn't happy about their policy, things would change (either the policy or the distrubutor). Sounds more like an effort to help the NA dealers stay in business. Think ahead: no dealers, no distributor = what? mail order from Italy? Good for the Italians and nearby countries, not so much for NA.

"Drive the prices down considerably", maybe (actually probably) for the gray market products. Might actually help the "real" products. Boxes are tough to keep around but a copy of the receipt can easily be tucked away and becomes a selling point. Ads might say, "OBM and R". Don't have the OBM? Well, pack it well and don't forget the R. It's part of the deal.

My 12 cents (adjusted for inflation).